President's Article

FIRST CROP

The Association's annual Fall Tour will be held on Saturday, September 26th. The annual event showcases various Maple producers’ facilities where a free flow of ideas can be exchanged of how others go about producing maple products. This year’s event is being organized by Larry Haigh, who has scheduled four stops in the Lake Odessa, Nashville, Bellevue, and Charlotte areas. A lunch and a short Association meeting will he held at noon. Best of all, however, is the opportunity to associate with fellow Maple producers.
A rather substantial challenge was initiated with one of Terry DeLaughary's customers when a State inspector objected to the use of the term Maple Cream. Cream has been used by the Maple as well as other industries for as long as anyone can remember. With substantial efforts by Mary Fogle Douglass the issue has been laid to rest. An article outlining the situation appears elsewhere in this Newsletter. The time and effort put into this challenge is not only for Michigan Maple, and the favorable outcome speaks very highly of Mary's dedication to the Michigan Maple industry and her abilities to resolve serious conflict.

Through Brian Vissers relationship with Lansing Community College/Northwood Institute the Association is exploring the possibility of lending itself to a class of college seniors in the development of a Strategic Plan. Most organizations with a vision for the future of their industry have developed these types of plans. Since this would be a class project the price is right, zero. The project would be under the guidance of Bill Motz, director of the Small Business Development Center as Lansing Community College.

On June 12, the Michigan Agricultural Statistic Service reported on the 1998 Michigan Maple Syrup crop. It estimated the crop at 55,000 gallons, substantially below the 75,000 gallons produced last year and estimated the value of the crop at $1.6 million. Interesting that with the current supply situation the value of a gallon of syrup declined this year. The decrease in production this year dropped Michigan to eighth place nationally.

We looked with horror this winter as a tremendous ice storm did substantial damage to sugar bushes back east. However, on May 31, an extraordinary wind storm moved through this state. The central part of the state was particularly affected as many rural residents were without electricity for a week as lines were snapped by the one hundred mile per hour winds. These disasters take on a very real connotation when someone you know is impacted. Board member Earl Girard of Hesperia was particularly affected by the storm. Two of his largest wood lots that he rents were completely leveled from the strong winds. Earl said that no syrup will ever be produced from these woods again.

On July 24, the Associated Press ran a short article that caught my attention. For years we have watched the Pear Thrip situation in New England. In Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, a beetle that has been identified as an Asian Long Horned Beetle was discovered. "Experts: predict serious impacts on the forest ecosystems and the sugar maple industry if the beetle infestation is not controlled. Welcome to Agriculture!

John Anton, President, Michigan Maple Syrup Association